


Second Sight

by RebelJanetRex



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-06-02 11:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6564283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebelJanetRex/pseuds/RebelJanetRex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanan is getting stronger with the force after Malachor. On a supply run, the crew meets up with an old enemy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kanan sat in the warm sunlight next to Chopper. He reached out with the force, trying to see every detail of the droid. No real image came to him, but he could feel each bolt, screw, and metal plate. An image came to his mind; a memory of the droid Hera had rescued. Kanan had heard tales of the blind Jedi masters when he was a youngling in the temple. They could see using the force. Kanan hoped it was true, but so far all he could do was feel a presence. He could feel when something was by him and this made walking around, despite his new disability, easy and simple. But all he wanted to do was see again. He wanted to truly see the sun and the stars again.

“Kanan,” a gruff voice to his right said. “Hera needs you in ops.”

“Be right there, Zeb,” he replied, relaxing. The memory sank into the red of his vision and he sighed. He was getting better, but it was slow work. Kanan used Chopper to heave himself to his feet. “Thanks, Chop,” he said, knocking his fist lightly on the droid. Chopper gave a few beeps and Kanan could feel him roll away. The droid had gotten more docile around Kanan, seeming to know he was in a lot of pain.

Kanan walked toward the camp, feeling the sunlight leave his back as he entered the main base. It was all familiar to him now and he found his way easily to the main ops station.

“We need supplies,” Hera said when Kanan came close to the group. “There’s a nearby system where we can get all we need.” 

“I’ve got the coordinates,” Sabine said and Kanan heard a beep.

“What about Imperial presence?” Kanan asked. “How bad is it?”

“From what I can tell,” Hera replied, “There’s a very limited presence. There’s the normal patrol of Stormtroopers, but there are no Imperial ships orbiting the planet.”

“Piece of Cake,” Ezra said from Kanan’s immediate left. Kanan hadn’t felt the kid move close to him and he jumped slightly to hear the voice so close. 

“You can say that again,” Zeb said. 

“Ezra,” Hera started. “You, Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb take the Ghost. Chopper has the list of supplies we need.”

“Yes, Captain,” he said jokingly. Kanan smiled. He pictured Ezra’s grin, his deep blue eyes that radiated happiness. How he wished he could see them fully again. His memory was only a shadow of an image. Kanan heard the holoprojector power down and a hand grabbed his own.

“Come along, dear,” Hera said sweetly. “Let’s get you aboard your ship.”

“Why thank you, Captain Syndulla,” he said with a smile. Hera led him to the Ghost, knowing full well that he didn’t need the assistance. Kanan enjoyed the sensation. He could sense a general picture of what someone looked like when he touched them. He could sense Hera smiling as she held his arm. When they reached the Ghost, Hera let go of his arm.

“Take care,” she said. “Sabine, keep him out of trouble.”

“I’ll try,” the girl replied as she passed by Kanan. Kanan smiled and boarded the Ghost. He periodically went on missions with the crew. Nothing dangerous, usually just supply runs. They went to a different planet each time so they wouldn’t attract much attention to themselves and lead the empire to Atollon.  
Kanan made his way to the front of the ship without help, feeling the walls and their texture as he went. They were coarse with a few smooth places here and there. They must be Sabine’s paintings, he thought. He found the bridge and opened the door, feeling the others already inside.

“You’re getting pretty good at seeing with the force,” Ezra said as Kanan sat down.

“It’s more like feeling where things are and avoiding them,” Kanan said. “I still can’t see like the blind masters of old.”

“So that’s what you were doing with Chopper,” he said. “You were trying to see him.”

“All I could do was feel his presence.”

Kanan heard the familiar hum of the engines as they began to lift off the ground. He sat back and listened as the others discussed the list of supplies, where they would get them, and how long they would take. He focused on trying to see Ezra. He put his hand up and reached out with the force. No images showed in his mind, but he could feel Ezra’s smile. Kanan smiled and relaxed, letting go with the force and sinking lower into his chair.

There was something odd, however. He focused on feeling Ezra again. There was a dark aura around his padawan. How had he not sensed this before? Kanan let go with the force and sighed. He would talk to Ezra after the mission.

The Ghost dropped out of hyperspace with the resonant thrum that was all too familiar. The ship landed on the planet as Kanan made his way to the cargo bay. 

“All right, Kanan,” Ezra said from behind him as the others entered the cargo bay. “You and Sabine go with Chopper, Zeb and I will go find some Meilooruns.”

“Meilooruns?” Kanan asked. “You better not steal another tie fighter while you’re at it.”

“That’s the idea,” Zeb said with a chuckle. Zeb and Ezra walked away and Sabine grabbed Kanan’s hand, placing it on her shoulder.

“You ready, Kanan?” She asked.

“Let’s go.”

As soon as he stepped off of the ghost, Kanan felt a rush of cold come over him. He stopped. It was familiar.

“Kanan, what is it?” Sabine asked.

“I sense something. Something dangerous.”

“Can you tell what it is?”

“No,” Kanan said. But the feeling wouldn’t go away. “I have a bad feeling about this.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra and Zeb go to find Meilooruns in the market. But something doesn't feel right...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May the Fourth be With You!!!  
> Thanks for reading guys!

“Where would we even find Meilooruns on this planet?” Zeb asked as he and Ezra walked through the street.

“No idea. Let’s ask someone.” Ezra ran up to one of the vendors and asked his question. Zeb sauntered toward the vendor, smiling at the boy’s eagerness. 

After they had gotten back from Malachor, Ezra became withdrawn and distant. Zeb understood the guilt and loss that he felt. At the beginning Ezra couldn’t sleep. He stayed awake, walking around the camp and watching the stars every night. After a few days, they all began to notice the exhaustion that seemed to radiate from him. Each member of the crew tried to console him but with each attempt, he seemed to draw farther away.

Zeb remembered what it was like after his people had been destroyed. He, too, felt guilty when those he loved were lost. When Zeb reached out, Ezra didn’t immediately withdraw like he did with the others. Zeb thought that perhaps Ezra could feel the connection between them. After a pep talk, Zeb got Ezra to fall asleep. From that point on, the bond between the two just grew stronger. Now they were just like brothers.

“You might be able to find some Meilooruns on the other side of town,” the vendor said. “There’s another market there.”

“Thanks,” Ezra said. “Let’s go.” The two headed down the street to the other end of town. A Storm Trooper Patrol passed by and a tie fighter flew overhead.

“Heh, heh,” Zeb laughed. “What do you say we steal another tie,” he suggested.

“That would be great!” Ezra said. “We could, oh I don’t know, actually crash it this time.” The two of them cut through an alley to reach the next street. Ezra stopped in the middle of the deserted passage with a grim look on his face.

"What is it?" Zeb asked, turning to see why the boy stopped.

"Nothing, I just... I have a bad feeling about this."

"Well, why don't we get the Meilooruns and then you and Kanan can sort out your force-y feelings together. If you're feeling it, I'm sure he is."

"You're right," Ezra said, starting again. "I'm sure it's nothing." Ezra passed Zeb. Zeb frowned. He wondered if he was making a mistake. Ezra had just gotten free from his guilt and Zeb didn't want to see him go back to the way he was after Malachor. All he could do was push him forward and hope for the best. As the two emerged from the alley, Zeb looked around and saw the marketplace nearby. The first Vendor that Zeb saw had a crate full of Meilooruns.

“Well, isn’t that lucky,” he said. “Meilooruns!” The Lasat and the Jedi hurried over to the Sullustan vendor.

“How much for the Meilooruns?” Ezra asked excitedly.

“Meilooruns are rare in this sector,” the vendor said in a raspy voice. “Those fruits are costly.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Zeb said. “How much?”

“They’ll be… two hundred. Each.”

“Two hundred credits?” Zeb asked angrily. “That’s outrageous!”

“You want the fruit, you’ll pay the price,” the vendor said. Zeb growled, stepping closer to the booth.

“Hang on,” Ezra said, grabbing Zeb’s arm to stop him. “Let me try something.” Zeb looked down to see the kid smiling mischievously. Ezra reached his hand out to the vendor’s face and waved it in front of him. “You will lower the price,” he said.

“Excuse me?” the Sullustan asked.

“You will lower the price of the Meilooruns,” Ezra repeated with another wave of his hand.

“I suppose I can lower the price. Just for you, though,” the vendor said. Zeb was amazed. The kid was getting good at using mind tricks. “How about… ten credits each.”

“I’d say that sounds reasonable,” Ezra said, looking up at Zeb with a grin.

“I’d say you’re right,” Zeb replied, fishing out the credits to pay for the fruit. “We’ll take the whole crate.”

They headed back toward the Ghost, slipping into the alley again. “That was some pretty good jedi stuff back there,” Zeb said.

“Thanks,” Ezra said. “Too bad it won’t work on you.” Ezra smiled playfully and turned around, walking backwards. “You’re not weak-minded like that guy.”

“Yeah,” Zeb said. “I’ve been through too much to be weak-minded.” Zeb stopped in his tracks. He stared at the ground, thinking of Lasan. “I guess… Well… I suppose you understand what I mean.” He looked up. Ezra looked shaken. After a moment, Zeb smiled and began to laugh. “Enough of that. Come on, kid! Tell me, how does this… mind trick work?”

Ezra turned around and began to walk toward the other street, happily recounting his experiences with mind tricks. “The trick is to keep yourself open. That way you can feel what their mind is like and--”Ezra was interrupted by the sharp sound of a lightsaber igniting behind them.

Before he could turn around, Zeb felt a sharp pain piercing his side. He cried out in pain and looked down to see the red lightsaber sticking through his flesh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanan and Sabine go get supplies, but something is definitely wrong when Kanan gets a call on his commlink.

Kanan and Sabine walked through the town, the sounds of vendors and restaurants filling the air. Kanan smelled a glorious scent and breathed deep.

“What is that smell?” he asked.

“The restaurant to our right is selling nerf steaks.”

“Mmmm,” Kanan said, thinking of the delicious, dark, juicy meat. “Maybe we can pick some up if we have enough credits later.” Sabine laughed and Kanan smiled. She didn’t laugh much anymore. After he went blind, Kanan missed seeing her artwork. Whenever he smelled the fresh paint, he asked Sabine what her painting looked like. At first it was hard for her to just describe her artwork and she seemed sad whenever he asked, but as she got used to it, she began to find the words. Whenever she described her art, Kanan could feel the warm, happy feeling that seemed to radiate from her now. He was glad to have raised her spirits. It would never be exactly like it was, but at least they both were happy.

“There’s a vendor on our left who looks like he has everything we need,” Sabine said, pulling Kanan to the left. He heard Sabine fishing for credits as they approached.

“Welcome,” a deep voice greeted. “What can I help you with today?”

“We have a list of supplies that we need.” Chopper began to whirr as he plugged into the shopkeeper’s station.

“Ah, yes,” he replied. “That will be four hundred credits.” The credit chips clinked together as Sabine gave them to the vendor. “It will be just a moment. Kasta!”

“What is it, dad?” a boy answered from the back room.

“There’s an order you need to fill! I’ll send it back there for you!” His computer console beeped and the boy shouted that he had received the list. The shopkeeper sighed and Kanan could feel him smile. “Is this your father?” the shopkeeper asked.

“You could say that,” Sabine said. Kanan felt a rush of warmth spread over him and he smiled. He could feel others’ emotions through the force more easily after being blinded.

“Well, it’s good of you to be helping him out.”

“She truly is a lifesaver,” Kanan said. “I just wanted to get out and about. See the town, if you know what I mean.”

The vendor chuckled. “Do you mind me asking how it happened?”

Kanan frowned. “Well,” he started. “I guess you could say I got on someone’s bad side and that he wanted to kill me. But he didn’t.” Kanan had been asked this question before when he had gone on other missions. He decided that being vague was the best option when describing his injury.

“I bet that’s a crazy story,” the shopkeeper said. “Here are your supplies, miss.”

“Thank you,” Sabine said and Kanan heard the whirr of the hovering crates. “Come on, dad.” Kanan chuckled and raised his hand. Sabine grabbed it and put it on her shoulder.

“Come again!” the vendor called. Kanan waved and walked away with Sabine. 

“We don’t have anymore credits, Kanan,” she said. “We’ll have to go back to taking supplies from the Empire.”

“That shouldn’t be too much trouble,” he said, smiling. “It’s not like we haven’t lived off of the Empire’s supplies before.”

They made it back to the ghost and began to put the supply crates into the cargo hold when a wave of cold passed through Kanan’s heart. He stopped. His commlink beeped.

“Spectre one! Come in!” Zeb’s voice sounded pained from the other end.

“What is it, Spectre Four?” 

“He took him--Gah!”

“Zeb?” The Lasat didn’t answer. “Zeb!”

“I’ve got his position,” Sabine said to his right. “Let’s go!” Sabine grabbed Kanan’s hand and they raced out of the hangar bay and down the street. He put all his trust in Sabine’s guidance and reached out with the force. He could feel the darkness, the redness of his vision overpowering him. As they went farther through the city, Kanan could feel nothing but pain. The same kind of pain from when he lost his eyes.

“He’s in pain, Sabine,” Kanan said with clenched teeth.

“Then we need to hurry. Come on!” A few turns later, the pain became more intense.

“He’s nearby,” he said. He began to hear the Lasat’s groans of pain.

“I see him!” Sabine said, running faster. “He’s hurt, Kanan! Badly!” Sabine slowed to a stop and pulled Kanan to the ground. “Zeb!”

Kanan rested his hands on the Lasat’s body and Zeb cried out in pain.

“Where’s Ezra?” Sabine asked. Kanan felt the fear well up inside her. Kanan tried his best to stay calm, but he was breathing heavily. The worry he felt for his padawan was overwhelming.

“He took him!” Zeb said in a gasp.

“Who? Who took Ezra?” Kanan reached out with the force, trying to ease Zeb’s pain. He felt the wound; the lightsaber had narrowly missed the Lasat’s vital organs, but it still did its damage. without treatment, Zeb wouldn’t last long.

“A redblade,” Zeb said. “A redblade with horns and robotic legs!” A wave of fear rushed over Kanan. The red and black face flashed in his mind. His last true sight.

“Maul,” he said quietly. “No.” Maul was supposed to be dead. Kanan had thrown him from the terrace of the Sith temple. Now that monster was coming for his padawan. 

“Maul is here?” Sabine asked.

“He said something about Ezra being his apprentice and getting revenge on his enemies. GAH!” Kanan felt Zeb’s pain and he grimaced.

“Sabine, help Zeb to a medstation. I’m going after Ezra.”

“But how will you be able to find him?” Sabine asked. 

Kanan reached out his hand and focused. Ezra. He wouldn’t lose his padawan to that monster like he did his eyes. 

“Don’t worry about me. Take care of Zeb. Chopper, I’ll need you.” He felt around for Chopper and grabbed hold of the droid. He stood up, stooped over to keep a hand on the astromech. “Let’s go.” Kanan and Chopper sped off down the street, Kanan focusing on Ezra. No one would take his padawan away. “Go left now Chop!” They turned and Kanan felt Ezra’s presence growing stronger. Kanan directed Chopper through the streets, turning countless times until he could tell that Ezra was near. He stopped and focused.

“Chopper, where are we?” he asked. Chopper beeped a reply. “The spaceport? He must have used one of the inquisitors’ tie fighters to get off of Malachor! Chopper, we have to find Ezra now!” Chopper grabbed Kanan’s hand and pulled him along. As they went, Kanan could hear the sound of a tie fighter’s engine starting. “He’s here, chopper!”

Wah waaaaah

They turned into the hangar and Kanan could feel Ezra’s presence growing weaker. “NO!” he screamed, running forward. “Ezra!” He stood beneath the tie fighter and turned his head toward the sky. The sound of the screeching engines receded as the tie fighter flew away.

He failed. Kanan failed to protect his padawan.

“I will find you, Ezra! I promise!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't judge if I get things to do with the Star Wars Universe wrong... I'm in no way an expert. ;)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! This has been a lot of fun and it really lifts my spirits whenever I get comments or when I see how many people have viewed my work! I'll try to post something every 2-3 weeks until classes start again. I won't know if I'll have this finished by then or not... we'll just have to wait and see :)


	4. Chapter 4

Ezra awoke to the sound of a tie fighter’s engine. He sat up with a groan and held his pounding head in his hands. What happened? He looked around and saw the silhouetted figure sitting in the pilot’s chair. Maul. Maul had stabbed Zeb and knocked Ezra unconscious in the alley.

“So you have awakened, Apprentice,” the Zabrak said in his smooth voice. The same voice that had tricked Ezra into trusting him. The same voice that had convinced him that his way was better than Kanan’s. The same voice that had used him to put the Holocron in the obelisk. The same voice that haunted his nightmares.

“No, not you!” he said, remembering his dreams. For weeks after they returned from Malachor, Ezra could barely sleep. Whenever he dreamt, he only ever saw Maul’s tattooed face and glowing yellow eyes. He saw Maul blinding Kanan. He saw the death of the Seventh sister over and over again. He heard the scream of frustration that came from Maul as he killed her. He heard his voice echoing as each of his friends died by Maul’s hands. “The next time you hesitate like that, it may cost you your life… or the lives of your friends.” Now the source of his fears sat before him.

“Have no fear, apprentice, I shall not harm you.”

“I’m not your apprentice,” Ezra replied coldly. “What did you do to Zeb?”

“The Lasat?” Maul asked, turning toward the boy. “I really do not know what happened to your friend. He was still alive last I saw. I assume he contacted your former master, but one can never tell.”

“So he could still be alive?” Ezra asked hopefully. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“I only needed to delay your friends for a while, not kill them.” Maul went silent, staring out the front window of the tie fighter, the blue lights of hyperspace casting his shadow onto the wall behind him. 

“What do you want?” Ezra asked with a shaking voice.

“I can sense your fear, Ezra,” Maul said. “There is no need to be worried.”

“Drop the act,” Ezra raised his voice. “Kanan told me what happened. You blinded him so you could get to me. You used me to get the power from the Sith temple!”

Maul stood and turned quickly to look at Ezra. “Yes. I blinded your master. I used you to get the holocron. I used you to activate the temple to get revenge on all of my enemies!” Maul scowled, clenching his fists in anger. Ezra slowly began to inch away from the Zabrak. 

“The sith, the jedi, the empire. They are all my enemies. I was once a Sith warrior, apprenticed to the most powerful being in the galaxy! But then my life was shattered by the jedi. By Obi-Wan Kenobi. He cut me in half and I was abandoned in a garbage heap on Naboo. I became a rabid animal, living only through the power of the dark side. My hatred and will to survive kept me alive until my brother found me. My mother helped me I regain my identity and I sought revenge on the Jedi who had forced me into a life of misery for twelve years! 

“I killed the woman Obi-Wan Kenobi loved so that he would feel my pain my misery my anguish! But then my former master came, murdered my brother, and used me to find my mother. He then murdered my mother and left me to die.” Maul turned back to the window and Ezra breathed slowly.

“I remembered a weapon that the ancient Sith had created and I knew that it would help me in my search for revenge. I went to Malachor and waited for another who could use the force to help me enter the temple. So long I waited. Then you came. You were destined to join me, Ezra! That is why you found   
me on Malachor!”

“I found you on Malachor because I fell down a hole!” Ezra argued. “It was just a--”

“Coincidence? Ezra, surely you have realized by now that there are no coincidences. There is only the Force.” He turned back around and knelt next to the boy, staring into his eyes. Ezra shifted his gaze, trying to look anywhere but at the man who had caused so many problems.

“Do you still have the holocron?” Maul asked after a moment.

“Wh-what?” Ezra looked back into his eyes.

“You do, don’t you?” Maul smiled “And you’ve managed to open it. I can feel the seeds of darkness within you. How does it feel? How does it feel to think like a sith?” Ezra looked away from the glowing yellow eyes.

He liked it.

He had been bottling up his emotions, refusing to let them turn into actions because it was not the Jedi way. A jedi never used emotions in the force. But Maul had shown him a different way on Malachor. He had used his anger at the Empire to lift the stones of the temple. He felt strong. He felt powerful.

The return from Malachor had been overwhelming. Kanan was blind. Ahsoka was gone. It was all Ezra’s fault. He had trusted Maul, and because he trusted him, they stayed on Malachor for all the bad things to happen. All of his emotions bubbled up to the surface. All of his anger and grief came to the forefront, the perfect components for using the dark side. He used his anger and opened the Holocron.

“It feels good, doesn’t it?” Maul asked. Ezra realized he was smiling. “It feels good to break your chains. I can teach you, Ezra. I can teach you to fully control your power through the dark side of the force.” 

“I don’t need you to teach me anything!” Ezra yelled, closing his eyes. “I already have a master!”

“A master who can no longer see you, let alone teach you!”

“You’re the one who blinded him!”

“When was the last time you trained with your master?” Ezra fell silent. They hadn’t trained together since they returned from Malachor. Every time that Kanan suggested the idea, Ezra declined, knowing it wouldn’t be worth it. No matter how hard he tried, Ezra would never be able to bring himself to try to fight his mentor; not while he was blind.

“He does not deserve an apprentice as powerful as you! Your power is boiling inside you, ready to manifest itself. You need the knowledge of the dark side to truly express your potential! You can be great, Ezra.”

“I don’t care about being great!”

Maul’s voice lowered. “Then what is it that you want from your training?”

“I just want to protect myself and my friends!”

“To do that, you need power--the power only the dark side can give.” Ezra looked up at Maul. The power of the dark side can be used to protect? He remembered when he summoned the giant fyrnock on Anaxes. He had used the cold, dark side of the force to control the beast and saved Kanan. He had protected his master with the dark side when the light side was insufficient.

“You’re right. I saved my master once, using the dark side.”

“You see? I promise you, with the knowledge in the holocron and with the training I can provide, you can become powerful enough to save all those you care for and love.”

Ezra thought for a moment, his eyes closed tight. The crew of the ghost were his only true family. Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Zeb, and even Chopper were the first people who cared about him and protected him. They came back for him when he thought no one would. If anything happened to them, if they were taken away like his parents were, he would never forgive himself; not when he could have done something to save them.

“Teach me,” he said.


	5. Chapter 5

Kanan slammed his fist on the medbay door with a cry of frustration.

“We’ll find him, Kanan,” Sabine reassured. Sabine sat next to the bacta tank, Zeb unconscious within. “Just like we found you.”

“This is different, Sabine,” he said.

“You’re right,” Sabine agreed. “There were imperial records to follow when you were captured by the inquisitor. But with Maul--”

“There’s nothing.” Kanan turned, resting his hand against the door. Sabine sank in her seat, sadness overcoming her. She looked up at the Lasat floating in the Bacta tank. First Maul had hurt Kanan, then he had almost killed Zeb, and then took Ezra! 

“Nothing.” Kanan sighed, leaning his head into the door. Sabine wracked her brain, trying to remember anything that could give even a small clue as to where Maul might be taking Ezra. She remembered Kanan and Ezra coming back from Malachor. She remembered Kanan telling them how Maul had blinded him. She remembered the sadness she felt when she realized that Kanan could never see her art ever again. She remembered Hera crying silently so Kanan wouldn’t hear her. She remembered Ezra shutting himself up in his cabin. She remembered Zeb doing everything to make the situation easier for them all. She remembered overhearing someone talking to themselves about the Siege of Mandalore… and Maul...

“You know,” Sabine said quietly. “There might actually be something.” Kanan turned his head toward the young Mandalorian.

“What is it?”

“Rex. I overheard Rex talking to himself when you guys got back from Malachor. I didn’t want to intrude so I didn’t hear much, but I know for sure he said something about Maul!” She stood up and smiled.

“All right, but how is that supposed to help us?” Kanan asked. Sabine started pacing with her hand up to her chin.

“Rex might know something about Maul that could tell us where he might be headed!” she said quickly. “I’ll stay here with Zeb to make sure he’s okay. You and Chopper--”

“We’ll head back to base and talk to Rex. Are you going to be fine here?”

Sabine looked up at his blindfolded face. His head aimed straight forward, his face not tilted to look down at her like it always used to be. He didn’t look at her like he used to. It was all because of Maul.

“Yeah. I just… I’m worried about Ezra.” Her eyes fell to stare at the middle of Kanan’s chest. She began to raise her voice. 

“He blinded you. He almost killed Zeb. He’s more powerful than the inquisitors. Kanan, what is he going to do to Ezra?” Tears came to her eyes as she thought of the boy she considered her closest friend. 

“I don’t know, Sabine,” Kanan said quietly. “That’s why I’m going to find him before that demon can do anything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one is short, but the next chapter should come soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter has some things that I have no idea if they are true or not. They pretty much are my personal headcanons and perceptions of how the force works.

“So where are we going?” Ezra asked, staring out the window into the blue light of hyperspace.

“I noticed that you no longer have your lightsaber, apprentice.” Maul was sitting in the pilot’s position, flipping switches on the dashboard. “We are going to get you a new crystal to make a new lightsaber.” He pressed a button on the dashboard and the ship dropped out of hyperspace with a reverberating thrum. “This is Ilum.”

Ezra gazed out at the white planet in awe. It reminded him of the moon of Geonosis where Zeb had been stranded.

“It looks cold,” he said.

“Yes. The planet is completely covered in ice. But below the surface there are crystal caves known for the abundance of Kyber crystals that have been found within.” Maul flew the tie fighter through the atmosphere toward the planet’s surface. “My master brought me here when I was young. I did not find my crystal here, however. I used a synthetic crystal as all the sith do.”

“Really?” Ezra asked as the ship landed on the ice. Maul powered down the engine and stood, looking down at the boy.

“Yes. We, however, have very limited resources. It is here that you shall find your new crystal. I cannot continue your training if you do not have a lightsaber.” He opened the top hatch and heaved himself out of the cockpit. Ezra felt the frigid air rush into ship. This was just like the moon of Geonosis.

Ezra pulled himself out of the ship and followed Maul. Before them were white cliffs of ice and snow towering high above their heads. The air above them was full of clouds, making it almost impossible to distinguish the cliff faces from the sky. Ezra folded his arms, trying to keep his body as warm as possible. The air was definitely colder here than on Geonosis’ moon. After a few minutes of walking, a wind began to pick up. Snow began to beat against Ezra’s face and he held his arms tighter. He looked up at Maul to see that his countenance had not changed. He stood tall as if he did not feel the freezing air beat against him. Ezra gaped in awe at the sight.

Soon the two of them reached the cliff face and Maul placed a hand on the ice. After a moment, he looked down and smiled. He brushed snow from off of a large metal circle that had been placed in the ice.

“This is it,” he said. “Do you remember what I taught you last time we met?”

“Yes,” Ezra replied.

“This is where you must use that knowledge. There is another Sith temple on this planet deep within the ice. We must lift the ice to gain entrance.” He stood next to Ezra and lifted his arm to the cliff. “We must do it together.” 

Ezra closed his eyes and lifted his arm. He began to think of his parents and the empire. They were gone because the empire had killed them. He had been left on the streets for eight years because of the empire. He allowed his hatred to well up inside him as he used the force. He then began to think of Kanan and Ahsoka. He allowed the grief and anger at himself to overwhelm his thoughts.

“Good, good,” Maul said. “We can now enter the temple.” Ezra opened his eyes to see that they had lifted the blocks of ice and a tunnel had appeared in the cliff face. The two of them entered the tunnel and walked down the passageway. It felt good to be out of the freezing wind, but the cold was still ever present. The tunnel opened to a large cavern. Statues of robed beings had been carved into the ice. A single opening in the ceiling allowed light to enter, shining on an open tunnel entrance.

“This is where you shall complete your task,” Maul said, stopping in the center of the cavern. “That tunnel shall lead you to where you need to be to find your new crystal. You see the ice above the entrance?” he asked, pointing to the wall. Ezra looked and saw where he pointed. “That ice will completely block the entrance to the tunnel by nightfall. You have until then to find your crystal.”

“What happens if I don’t find it by then?” he asked. 

“You will have failed, apprentice. And the punishment for failure is death. I will leave you here to die.” 

Ezra’s heart stopped. He would leave him here to die? “Wait, what?” he asked. “But--”

“You are wasting precious seconds, apprentice. You have very little time before nightfall.”

“But--”

“GO!” Maul whipped out his lightsaber and ignited it. The flash of red startled Ezra and he jumped. With fear in his heart, he entered the tunnel.

The tunnel was cold; colder than he had expected. It was like the cold he felt from Vader’s presence had been transferred to this tunnel. Ezra followed the tunnel until he came to an intersection of three passageways. Just like the temple on Lothal he thought. He closed his eyes and lifted his arm. He reached out with the force, trying to feel which way he should go. After a moment he opened his eyes and went through the middle path.

He soon came upon a large lake. He followed the bank of the water around to another passageway. If I fell in that water I would definitely freeze to death he thought. The next passageway was colder than the one before. He didn’t think that could be possible. His teeth started chattering uncontrollably as he shivered. His pace slowed and soon it was all he could do to keep standing. What am I doing? He asked. I’m never going to find my kyber crystal like this. He fell to his knees and closed his eyes.

Ezra heard a crack. He opened his eyes as the ice beneath him gave way. He fell into another passage below, hitting the ground hard. Ezra groaned, rolling onto his stomach. He was too cold to move. Nothing was responding the way it should. With all the strength he could muster, he pushed himself onto his knees and began to meditate. All of the cold seemed to slowly dissipate from his body and he sighed in relief.

“Why hello there,” a voice said. Ezra looked up and saw a man in grey robes standing before him. He had dark hair, the front pulled back into a pony, and a small beard. They were both in the starry space Where Ezra had seen Master Yoda and had gotten his first kyber crystal.

“Who are you?” Ezra asked the figure.

“My name is unimportant for I have been known by many.” The man knelt down before Ezra.

“Are you a Jedi?” Ezra asked.

“I was neither Sith nor Jedi. I once followed the guidance of the force and learned to use it in a way most do not.”

“Once? Are you…”

“I am now one with the force, just as your parents are.” The man smiled at Ezra. It was a warm, comforting smile like the ones Kanan gave him. It was nothing like Maul’s smile.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“Why are you here?” the figure countered.

“I came to find a kyber crystal.”

“Why?”

“I need a new lightsaber so I can continue my training,” Ezra replied, looking down.

“With whom are you training?”

“His name is Maul. He is going to teach me to use the dark side of the force.”

The man shook his head. “The dark side is evil. It is the way of the Sith.”

“Maul isn’t a Sith anymore,” Ezra said, raising his voice. “He told me the only way to reach my full potential was to learn to use the dark side.”

“To use your emotions and tap into the power of your anger and sorrow?” the figure asked calmly.

“Yes. When I first met him I used my anger and was able to lift a stone that I couldn’t before.” He paused, thinking of that moment. “I had so much power.” He remembered the surge of energy he felt as he lifted the stone at the Sith temple on Malachor. It was exhilarating.

“How would you use that power if you were to obtain it again?” the man asked.

Ezra looked up into his eyes. “I would protect everyone! I would stop the Empire from ruining anyone else’s life.” He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The man was silent. Ezra thought of Kanan. He had lost everything because of the Empire. All of his family had lost everything because of the Empire. He would do anything to stop that from happening to anyone else.

“What is the most powerful emotion?” the man asked suddenly.

“What?” Ezra asked. “Well… I guess it would have to be anger.”

“That is where you are wrong, young one.” The man stood and began to walk around Ezra. “Think of your mother and father. What do you feel?”

“I feel sorrow. I was never able to see them again.”

“Yes. We all feel sorrow at the death of someone we care for. But think harder. Think of the days when you still knew them. What do you feel?”

Ezra thought back to his most treasured memory. His parents had taken him to the market and he was running ahead of them. They were all happy, smiling to each other. He remembered tripping and skinning his knee. He had started crying. His mom knelt down and gave him a big kiss on the forehead, saying it would be all right. She scooped him up in her arms and hugged him tight. All of the pain in his knee went away.

“Love,” he said at last. He felt the love his mother had for him as she held him fast.

“Yes, young one. That is it. Love, not hatred or anger, is the most powerful emotion. You need not learn the ways of the Dark side. You need only to learn how to use your emotions to strengthen your abilities. When one uses their anger, the power becomes uncontrollable and uncertain like a wild gundark. That is the way of the Sith. The Jedi feared this power, so in trying to control it, they began to lose what power their emotions gave them. We must find the balance between the two.

“If one acts out of love, their power cannot be contested.” The man stopped, standing in front of Ezra.

“I think I understand,” Ezra said.

“Good. Take my teachings to heart, young one. You shall find what you seek.” The man disappeared and Ezra found himself back in the ice tunnel.  
The cold returned to his arms as he looked around. He saw a light down the tunnel that he did not remember seeing before. He stood and realized how numb his legs were. He had been kneeling on the ice for a long time. He stumbled forward toward the light. The light seemed to be emanating from a small crystal. As he approached, the light began to brighten. He took the crystal in his hands, pulling it from the ice.

“My kyber crystal,” he said aloud. Ezra smiled and put the crystal in his side pouch. He looked back to where he had fallen through the ice. If he could just get back up to the next level, he could get back to the doorway. He went to the hole and looked through. It didn’t seem too high. He had seen Kanan jump higher than that. He crouched down, readying himself to jump. He leapt as high as he could, trusting the force to get him to where he needed to be.

He landed on the edge of the ice firmly. He smiled. I did it he thought. He ran as fast as he could back through the passageway. The lake he had passed was almost completely covered in ice. It had gotten colder. His pace began to slow as the cold started taking its hold. As he ran through the first passage he began to worry if he had found his crystal soon enough. He rounded a bend and saw the entrance. The opening was almost completely gone. I took too long he thought. He summoned his strength and ran harder toward the entrance. As soon as he was close enough, he fell to the ground and slid through the opening.

He made it back in time. He lay on the ice, gasping for breath. The air was much warmer in this cavern than in the tunnel. After a moment he sat up and saw Maul kneeling in the center of the cavern, smiling.

“Well done, apprentice.” Maul said. “I take it you have the crystal?”

“Yes,” Ezra said. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the crystal. He could see now that it had a slight violet color, unlike his previous crystal.

“Good. You shall construct your new lightsaber when we reach Ord Mantell.” Maul stood and turned toward the entrance of the temple.

“Ord Mantell?” Ezra put his crystal back into the pouch on his belt and followed close behind.

“The Black Sun has a facility on that world. That is our next destination.”

“What would we do on Ord Mantell?” 

“Form an army. We are recreating the Shadow Collective.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late. I had a lot of things on my plate to deal with the past few weeks.

“Kanan what happened?” Hera asked as Kanan stepped out of the Phantom, her voice quivering.

“It was Maul,” he said with a grimace. “He took Ezra and almost killed Zeb.” Hera gasped. “Sabine stayed behind with him while he heals.” Hera grabbed Kanan’s arm. The sensation calmed his nerves.

“Do you know where they went?” Hera asked frantically. Kanan could feel her worry washing over him like waves. 

“No.” Hera rested her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. “I couldn’t stop him,” he said quietly. “He took Ezra away from me once and now he’s done it again.”

“You’ll find him, love,” Hera said. “I know you will.” They held the embrace for a long moment, Kanan feeling her worry begin to subside. Ezra was family and no matter what, Kanan was going to bring their family home.

“I need to talk to Rex,” he said finally, pulling away from the embrace. “Can you take me to him?”

“Of course, dear,” Hera said. She took his hand and guided him to the main control station. Beeping and orders being passed filled Kanan’s mind. The sounds brought him back to when he was a Padawan on a republic ship with his master, Depa Billaba. He always loved to hear the clones give each other orders, replying in the same voice. Here the voices were all different. The rebellion was made up of all kinds of people, not a group of clones who all sounded the same.

“Rex,” Hera said, stopping.

“Oh, Kanan, you’re back,” Rex paused. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Sabine and Zeb stayed behind. Maul took Ezra,” Kanan said.

“What?”

“I need to know everything about the Siege of Mandalore. Sabine said you knew something about Maul.” There was a short pause as Rex took a moment to grasp the situation.

“Of course. Any information about him should be useful. We should go sit down.” Kanan followed Rex’s footsteps away from the main control center. The two sat down on a crate and Rex sighed.

“The Siege of Mandalore happened only weeks before the Chancellor told us to execute Order 66. We were sent with General Skywalker to take control of Mandalore from the Death Watch. Ahsoka had heard about the problem and had gone to help the Mandalorian Bo-Katan. When we met them, she said that her troops had once been a part of Death Watch but had left because Darth Maul had seized control from Pre Viszla.”

“So Maul used to be in control of the entire planet of Mandalore?”

“Yes. You see, Darth Maul had used the Death Watch to gain the support of many crime families which he called the Shadow Collective. The Pikes, the Black Sun, and even the Hutts had joined him. With their help, he took the throne from Duchess Satine in a matter of days. His strategy was foolproof.”

“The Hutts joined him?”

“Yeah,” Rex chuckled.

“That’s pretty hard to believe.”

“I thought so too. By the time we had gotten to Mandalore, Maul’s Shadow Collective had fallen apart, leaving him with only the Death Watch as his army. Just as the siege was beginning, the Chancellor was abducted by General Grevious. General Skywalker left with General Kenobi to rescue him, leaving me and Ahsoka in charge. With Bo-Katan’s help we made our way into the palace and that’s where we found Maul.

“Maul ran, leading me and Ahsoka away from the others. We followed him into an inner chamber of the palace. He told us that the Republic senate was more corrupt than we could have ever imagined. He also said that the clones were all a part of a plot by the Sith and that we would eventually turn on those who trusted us the most.”

“He… he knew about Order 66?” Kanan asked.

“It seems that way. I was injured when we tried to fight Maul. Ahsoka stopped fighting to help me and Maul disappeared. I never saw or heard from him again. I removed my control chip because of what he said and I convinced Gregor and Wolffe to do the same.” Rex’s voice seemed strained, as though something he remembered was bringing him to tears. 

“Why would Maul want Ezra?” Kanan asked after a moment’s pause.

Rex cleared his throat. “When Maul was forming the Shadow Collective, his brother was helping him. His brother died shortly after they took control of Mandalore. Bo-Katan told us that Maul said his brother was his apprentice.”

“Maul said on Malachor that Ezra was his apprentice.” Kanan said. “Maybe…”

“Maybe he’s going to reform the Shadow Collective so he can create a new army.” Rex suggested. 

“But he can’t do it alone. He doesn’t have the support of the Mandalorians anymore so he needs someone who is powerful to help him. That’s why he needs Ezra.”

“Ezra would never help someone like Maul,” Rex said.

“Ezra has a connection with Maul. He feels some of the same pain that Maul has felt. Ezra has used the dark side of the force before. I have felt… a darkness about him lately,” Kanan admitted. “I think he opened the Sith holocron we found on Malachor.”

“What does that mean?”

“No Jedi can open a Sith holocron. He isn’t thinking like a Jedi anymore.”

“If Maul is going to reform his shadow collective, he needs powerful allies. He would avoid all organizations that are directly connected to the Empire. He might go for the Hutts or the Black Sun.”

“The Hutts would be too difficult to overthrow now,” Kanan said. 

“The black sun’s power is much weaker now since their head of operations on Mustafar has been replaced by the Empire.”

Kanan put his hand up to his chin.”Where is the Black sun now?” he asked.

“Ord Mantell,” a voice said from behind him.

“Ketsu,” Rex said. “You’re just in time.”

“You work for the Black sun, don’t you?” Kanan asked, turning his body to face her.

“I do,” she said. “What do you need?”

“We need to get to Ord Mantell,” Kanan said. “And we need to get there fast.”


	8. Chapter 8

The Tie Fighter dropped out of hyperspace with a deep thrum. Ezra’s heart sank when he saw the star destroyers orbiting the dull planet of Ord Mantell.

“Star Destroyers,” he said. “The Empire is here?” 

“The Empire is everywhere, apprentice,” Maul replied. “Nothing can stop that. We must adjust our plans to fit their presence.” The comm beeped and Ezra stared at the red flashing light.

Everything was red now. Red like Maul.

“Unrecognized Tie Fighter. Identify yourself. This is the Starship Valiant.”

“You dare interfere with my mission?” Maul spat into comm. “I am here on inquisitorial business from the Emperor himself. It is strictly confidential, as I’m sure you are aware.”

“My apologies, inquisitor,” the imperial officer said from the other line. His voice quivered and Ezra could sense his fear. “We’ll let you be on your way. Valiant out.” The comm beeped as the line closed.

“You sensed his fear, didn’t you, Apprentice,” Maul said. 

“Yes,” Ezra replied.

“The title of Inquisitor brings fear alongside it. We can use this to our advantage. Fear is a useful ally. It can heighten your power, force others to do your will, and cause your enemies to crawl away like a child.” Maul steered the Tie Fighter into the atmosphere of the planet. As they broke the clouds, Ezra was reminded of home. The planet looked like Lothal. The buildings had rounded rooftops and while the streets were wider than Capital City on Lothal, they seemed just as run down. 

The tie fighter screeched toward a landing site straight ahead of them. As soon as they arrived, they landed slowly, the wings of the ship folding toward the cockpit.

“Come along, Apprentice. I shall find where the Black Sun is currently stationed while you build your lightsaber.” Maul held out a stack of credit chips and Ezra took them. His new master lifted the hatch on top of the ship and pulled himself out of the cockpit. Ezra followed close behind. Maul hopped from the spherical ship and moments later, Ezra heard a bang. The Zabrak soon began to walk toward the entrance of the landing platform.

“How do you know I won’t just leave?” Ezra called.

“I disabled the ship,” Maul said. “You would need to steal another in order to leave this planet without me.”

“I thought you trusted me,” Ezra said.

“I never trust anyone.” Maul disappeared into the city, Ezra still seated atop the Tie Fighter. 

He reached into his side pouch and fingered the sith holocron. Ever since opening the holocron, he kept it with him at all times. It reminded him of what happened on Malachor. It reminded him why he was to blame for everything. It reminded him of the power he felt when he opened it.

Ezra shook his head and leapt from the tie fighter. He headed away from the landing platform and toward the marketplace. Speeders passed through the streets and a storm trooper patrol strode down an alley. Ezra heard the rumbling of a crowd of people. There it is, he thought. He rounded a corner and saw a bustling marketplace with vendors selling everything from droids to meilooruns.

Ezra thought back to how he made his lightsaber on the ghost. He remembered which parts he needed for the main body of the saber and which ones he had used for the blaster addition. He looked around the marketplace and saw a droid repair shop and decided to check there for the parts. Maul might not approve of the blaster addition, he thought.

After picking up some of the parts he needed from the repair shop, Ezra continued to find the rest from various other vendors. Each had one or two parts and soon he had all he needed to complete his lightsaber.

He found a secluded alleyway and crouched down behind some crates, out of sight from any passing patron. He laid out the pieces and reached into his side pouch. As he grabbed the kyber crystal, his hand brushed the holocron. The feeling of power surged into him and he lingered next to the sith artifact. After a moment he took the crystal out and placed it amid the pieces of his lightsaber.

Ezra closed his eyes and thought back to the diagram he saw from Kanan’s Holocron. A droid’s voice resonated in his mind as he remembered the professor whose teachings were stored within. Ezra reached out with the force and assembled the lightsaber, putting all of his emotions into the task. This will make its power stronger, he thought. The lightsaber clicked as the final piece slid into place.

Ezra opened his eyes and saw his newly built lightsaber. It wasn’t as slick and clean like his other lightsaber had been. None of the parts were perfect fits, but they somehow stayed together. The kyber crystal was visible from where it was placed and it seemed to float in the space. He didn’t dare turn it on, not while anyone could be watching.

“This here is a jedi datacrystal!” a vendor shouted from not too far away. “The Jedi used them to store lots of information during the clone wars!” Ezra peeked over the crate and saw a weequay man holding aloft a small green crystal, not much larger than a kyber crystal.

“Hey,” he said, walking toward the man. “How did they read the information?”

“They had holocrons, of course! Not many people have those today, I’m sure, but if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, this datacrystal could be very useful!”

“Apprentice!” Ezra heard a sinister voice call from the alley he just left. He turned around and saw Maul waiting at the other end. “Come along.” Ezra thanked the vendor and hurried back through the alley.

“Did you find the Black Sun?” he asked.

“Yes,” Maul replied. “And I take it you finished your lightsaber.”

“Yeah,” Ezra said, holding it out. Maul gingerly took the device with an apprehensive look on his face.

“Are you sure it works?” he asked.

“I’m sure,” Ezra said. “I memorized the diagram from Kanan’s holocron.” Maul grimaced slightly at the mention of Kanan’s name.

“Good work. You may need to use it when we encounter the Black Sun.” Maul turned and strode out of the alley with this hands clasped behind his back. He looked comfortable and confident, a stark contrast to how Ezra felt.

A ship flew dangerously close to the city buildings, causing a strong wind to blow against Ezra’s face. He looked up. He recognized the yellow ship as Ketsu Onyo’s shadowcaster. Ketsu worked for the Black Sun, he remembered. It wouldn’t be strange to see her ship here. It was slightly comforting to know that someone with a connection to the rebellion was here on Ord Mantell. Ezra smiled slightly and looked down. He had an out if he needed one.

Ezra followed Maul, unsure of what he was going to be facing. Whatever happened, Ezra would rely on the force.

Just like Kanan.


	9. Chapter 9

“What are you doing?” Rex yelled from the cockpit. “We could have hit those buildings!” Kanan sat in the cargo hold of Ketsu Onyo’s ship. Rex had gone to the cockpit to see what was happening when the ship had entered Ord Mantell’s atmosphere. There was no trouble getting past the Imperial blockade when they arrived. Ketsu would collect bounties for the black sun on a regular basis so the imperials recognized her ship immediately.

“I was just having a bit of fun, gramps,” Ketsu said to Rex in a carefree tone. “Loosen up a bit.” The ship’s flight began to smooth and Kanan shook his hand. He had been gipping his seat tightly, he realized. He hadn’t flown in a ship that wasn’t the ghost or the phantom since becoming blind and he wasn’t used to the feel of the Shadowcaster’s flight.

“Loosen up?” Rex asked incredulously. “You’re the one who made me restless by making me get into this ridiculous disguise!”

“The black sun hates clones,” Ketsu reasoned. “If they saw you in your clone armor, they’d kill you immediately.” 

Rex scoffed. “They could certainly try.”

“We’re coming up on the landing site,” Ketsu said loudly. Kanan heard the clicks as she flipped switches to prepare for landing. The ship slowed and set down smoothly as though Hera were flying the phantom. He smiled slightly as the thought entered his mind. .

“Come on, blind man,” Ketsu said, walking heavily down to where Kanan sat. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. “Grandpa will lead you around so no one gets suspicious.” Kanan lifted his arm and Rex rested it on his shoulder. He wasn’t wearing his sturdy armor anymore. Instead it felt like a leather jacket with metal rivets fastened to the shoulder. It gave off a musty odor, as if it had been in storage for a long time.

Rex lead Kanan down the ramp to the landing pad. They followed Ketsu into a bustling building full of voices, growls, cries of pain, and smells of cooked food.

“Welcome to the Black Sun,” Ketsu said. “We’ve got the slave market to our left,” she said, leading them through the building. Electrowhips crashed and Kanan heard the cries of pain emanating from the direction she indicated. He hated everything to do with slavery. He frowned. There was nothing he could do about it now. Maybe another day. “And on our right is the rare animal market.” Kanan heard loud growls and snarls mixed with banging of cages. An electrostaff sparked and one of the animals whimpered. Kanan could feel a fraction of the pain the animal felt and he grimaced. “A wild gundark can be sold for up to a million credits here.”

“Too bad we don’t have one of those on our hands, right Kanan?” Rex asked.

“Let’s just focus on finding Ezra,” he said. “We should talk to whoever leads the Black Sun. They should be able to tell us if Maul has been here.”

“Ziton Moj is the head of the Black Sun,” Ketsu said. “But we’ll have to talk to his deputy to get a word with him.” Ketsu lead them away from the growls and cries of pain and past the aroma of bantha steaks. They walked down the stone path and soon all of the rumbling voices vanished. Their footsteps echoed eerily in the seemingly large space.   
Kanan felt the pain leave and he breathed out slowly. He had always been able to sense others’ pain, but since he became blind it had changed to feeling a portion of the pain they felt. He hated it.

A door beeped, sliding open and Rex stopped.

“State your business,” a booming voice said.

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you? We need to speak with Ziton Moj,” Ketsu replied. “We have urgent business with him.”

“He is in another meeting,” the man said. “I will need you to stay in the waiting room.” Ketsu, Rex, and Kanan followed the man through the silent hallways of the Black Sun headquarters. He lead them to a room with a faint humming like a set of monitors were placed on the wall.

“I will come to unlock the door when you see that Ziton Moj’s guests have gone.” the man said. “For now you must wait in here.” A moment later, Kanan heard the door slide shut and beep.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Ziton Moj doesn’t like having his guests roam around the compound,” Ketsu said. “So we have to wait here until his business is finished.”

Kanan frowned. “We don’t have time for this.” He let go of Rex’s shoulder and felt for the wall. His senses had been clouded by his worry for Ezra and his anger at the present situation so it was difficult to feel where things were. When he found the wall, he rested his head against it. “What’s happening with Ziton Moj?” A few moments passed before Rex gasped.

“Kanan,” he said. “It’s Maul and Ezra!”

“What?” Kanan turned toward Rex’s voice, his mind racing.

“Maul is talking to Moj and Ezra is standing behind him!”

Why couldn’t I feel his presence? Kanan wondered. “Ezra is here!” he said. “We need to get in there before they can leave!”

“The door is locked,” Rex said. “We can’t--”

“I can always hotwire it,” Ketsu interrupted. “I’ve done it before.” Kanan nodded. “Just give me a few minutes and we’ll be out of here.”

Suddenly a jolt of pain surged into Kanan’s body. He clenched his teeth and brought his hands to his head. “What’s going on?” Kanan asked. The pain he felt was indescribable. He heard distant screams and the hum of a lightsaber blade. The sea of red was all he saw.

“It’s Maul,” Rex said quietly. “He’s…. He’s killing them all.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update. The trailer for season 3 put me back a week because it was so good and I had to analyze everything in it. And just so you know, nothing from the trailer will affect this story. I had a plan before seeing the trailer and I’m sticking to that plan. But dude. That trailer was amazing. Whoever makes their trailers is a genius.

Ezra looked on in horror. The carnage before him was terrifying. Maul was slaughtering everyone in the building; slaves, black sun soldiers, everyone was dying. There would be no one left by the end. Maul’s lightsaber looked like a flame ripping through the bodies of each one he killed, dark smoke rising from their scorched flesh. The smoke reminded him of something else he had seen. Something that he had caused.

Tarkin town.

"There’s a cost for any action we take now, Ezra.”

Kanan was right. He was right all along. He was right about Maul from the beginning. He was right about not trusting him. He was right about not using anger. He was right about everything.

Ezra took a step back, horrified by the look he saw on Maul’s face. It was one of excitement and glee. He was enjoying this.

Ezra ran. He ran as fast as he could and didn’t look back. Nothing was worth this. This wasn’t right. Maul’s way was horrifying and terrible. He should have seen it before. He killed the Seventh Sister when she couldn’t defend herself. He killed the Fifth Brother. He blinded Kanan.

Maul was ruthless. He was still a Sith even though he didn’t call himself one. Ezra was trying to destroy the Sith, not join them. Ezra kept running.

Ezra was outside of the Black Sun compound before he looked behind him. Maul hadn’t followed him. It didn’t mean he wasn’t going to come after him once he finished killing everyone in the compound, however. Ezra slowed to a stop and caught his breath. Maul wanted him as an apprentice and Ezra assumed that he wouldn’t let him leave. He turned to the marketplace and began to look for someplace to hide. By living on the streets Ezra had discovered that hiding in plain sight was the best way to avoid the watchful eyes of the Empire. But he wasn’t dealing with the Empire. He was dealing with a Sith Lord, and this Sith Lord would be desperate to find him.

Ezra tried to act casually as he passed through the market. He pulled a cloak from a vendor’s table and continued walking. He slung it around his shoulders and pulled the hood over his face. It would help disguise him, but Maul would eventually find him hidden among the people in the town.

He walked farther through the town, trying to think of where he could go. The marketplace where he had crafted his lightsaber was nearby and the spaceport was on the other side of that. He could find another ship and stow away. But then how would he be able to contact Kanan and the others? If he contacted the fleet he would put their new base in jeopardy of being found by the Empire. No, he needed to go through Ketsu Onyo. He needed to get a message to her.

“This datacrystal came straight from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant!”

Ezra stopped and peered down the alley toward the marketplace. The vendor he had met before was still trying to sell the datacrystal that could be only be seen through a holocron. Only Ezra and Kanan had a holocron. Ezra turned into the alley and came upon the vendor’s booth.

“How much for the datacrystal?” he asked.

“Taking an interest are you?” the vendor asked with a smile. “My starting price is fifty thousand credits.”

“I don’t have any credits,” Ezra admitted. “But… maybe a trade?”

“It would have to be something extremely rare,” the vendor said. It took me a long time to get this crystal.” Ezra thought about what he had. He had the Sith Holocron, electro-sling shot, commlink, and his lightsaber.

Lightsaber.

Ezra pulled the lightsaber from his side pouch and examined it. It was roughly put together and had never been used. He didn’t even know for sure if it would have worked. He pulled the Kyber Crystal from the mechanism and put the saber back into his pouch.

“This is a kyber crystal,” he told the vendor. “The Jedi used them to make--”

“Lightsabers,” the vendor said in awe. “It’s a fair trade.” He smiled and held out the datacrystal. Ezra grabbed the crystal and placed his kyber crystal into the vendor’s hand slowly. He found that crystal when he willingly left his master. Now he would willingly give it up to find his master again, even if it meant never being able to use his new lightsaber.

Ezra placed the datacrystal into his pouch and turned away from the vendor. He walked away, not staying to hear the thanks he received. He needed to get a message to Kanan. Kanan would know what the datacrystal was and how to use it. Ezra began to run as fast as he could toward the spaceport. Maul would be looking for him and he needed to find a way off of Ord Mantell.


	11. Chapter 11

Kanan felt a jolt of pain and grasped his head. As Maul killed everyone in the next room the pain and anguish they all felt filled his mind. All of the darkness clouded his feelings, turning the room into an empty red expanse with no end.

“Agh, what’s taking so long?” he snapped.

“I thought Jedi were supposed to be patient, blind man,” Ketsu responded as sparks and zaps of electricity resounded from the door. “They changed the doors since the last time I was here.”

“Kanan, Ezra is leaving!” Rex exclaimed. He had taken to observing the scene while Ketsu unlocked the door.

“He’s leaving?”

“Maul doesn’t seem to have noticed!”

I could have told you that, Kanan thought through the pain. The door clicked open and the sound of screams and the hiss of Maul’s lightsaber became louder.

“We need to get to him,” Kanan said. “Before Maul does.” Rex grabbed Kanan’s hand and placed it on his shoulder.

“Let’s move out!”

“You got it, Gramps,” Ketsu said as her footsteps rang from the hallway. Rex and Kanan followed close behind. Kanan found it difficult to sense the hallways and where they were headed, but he trusted Rex to get him where he needed to be. They ran toward the main door of the complex into a loud array of pandemonium. It sounded like a large crowd of people were attempting to get out of the building as Kanan, Rex, and Ketsu tried to leave. As they pushed into the crowd, Kanan found it difficult to keep a hold of Rex’s shoulder. A surge of people piled against him and his hand slipped.

“Rex!” he said. He realized his voice would not be heard over the array of voices and screams around him. The mass of bodies made it impossible to sense where Rex was. He was pushed along out of the complex, unsure of where he was going. The group began to dissipate and Kanan stopped moving.The pain he felt before stopped and he was able to feel his surroundings more easily.

“Rex?” he called. “Ketsu?” There was no answer. As he reached for his commlink, he found that it was no longer attached to his belt. “Karabast,” he said quietly. He held his hand out and reached with his feelings, trying to find his lost companions. As he reached out, all he felt was pain. He heard more screaming from far away and the pain intensified. Kanan felt another rush of people run past him as the pain continued. He couldn’t move.

Someone rammed into him and he stumbled to the side only to have someone else knock into him. He fell to the ground and grimaced, holding his head. The pain he felt was worse than when Zeb was attacked, but it came nowhere near the pain from when Maul blinded him. As the group of people ran past him, Kanan felt kicks as they didn’t notice him on the ground.

Everything was dark. Everything was red. He couldn’t feel his surroundings. All he could feel was pain.

A hand rested on his shoulder. “Are you alright?” a sweet voice asked from behind him. He turned his head slightly toward the voice. The pain he felt began to fade. The rush of people was gone. It was only the woman behind him.

“Yeah…” he said. “I’ll be fine. I just… I lost my guide.”

“You’re blind?” she asked quietly as Kanan got to his feet.

“Yeah,” Kanan affirmed. He felt her softly grab his arm.

“Well, where do you need to go?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. We were looking for someone and found out he was on Ord Mantell. I was separated from the others and now I’m not quite sure where I am.”

“Who were you looking for?”

“My… son,” he said. “He’s been missing for a few days.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “Where do you think he might have gone?” Kanan thought about Ezra’s tactics. He would hide, but he knew that Maul wouldn’t give up. He would find Ezra if he stayed. Ezra would run. He would try to leave Ord Mantell.

“He might have gone to the spaceport,” he said.

“Maybe your friends thought the same thing,” the woman replied. “I’ll lead you to there and let’s hope it’s where your son went.” She slung her arm around Kanan’s and gripped his forearm with her other hand. He felt reassured, as though his master, Depa Billaba, was there beside him as they walked.

“Now, since I’m helping you find your son, I should know what he looks like otherwise we’ll never find him.”

“He has deep blue eyes and dark hair. He wears orange and has two scars on his left cheek. I think his hair is cut short, but I can’t be sure. He would have cut it after I went blind.”

“Two scars?” she asked. “I… I think I have met your son!” She stopped walking and let go of his arm.

“You have? Where was he?”

The woman grabbed Kanan’s hand and placed a small stone in his palm. “He asked me to give this to the bounty hunter Ketsu Onyo and tell her to get it to Kanan.” The stone felt very familiar, like a holocron resting in his hand.

“A datacrystal,” he whispered.

“Are you Kanan?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied after a moment, smiling. “My son just gave me a clue to where he’s going.”

“Do we still need to go to the spaceport?” she asked.

“Yes.” He pocketed the datacrystal and the woman grabbed his arm again.

They walked through the city, the array of sounds familiar yet slightly different. The feeling around him was one of concern and slight panic. The animals being sold were very agitated, screaming and roaring in unrest. He felt the people look around and heard their quiet murmurings. They seemed to be scared and unsure of what was happening in the Black Sun complex. Kanan didn’t blame them. Anyone would be. The woman turned into a narrow, quiet alley and Kanan felt the presence of someone walking toward them. After a moment the man before them slammed into the woman as he tried to pass them.

Time seemed to slow as Kanan felt the man step past. He felt the man’s fingers slip into the pouch at the woman’s waist and slide her credit chips out. Instinctively Kanan reached out and grabbed the man’s arm before he could walk away.

“You don’t want to be doing that,” he said.

“Come off it,” the man protested. “Who do you think you are, anyway?”

“Give this woman back her credits,” he said, keeping his grip steady.

“How did you--”

“You dirty rotten pickpocket!” the woman gasped. Kanan heard a crunch and recognized the sound as breaking bones. The man began to hop up and down.

“My foot!” Kanan shoved the man forward and he fell to the ground.

“Give me my credits!” the woman said.

“Take them!” the man tossed the credit chips to her with a clink. He shuffled along the ground, retreating from the woman.

Kanan smiled. It felt like he was back on Lothal, helping Tarkintown and anyone in the capital who needed it. Even though he couldn’t see it, he could feel the woman’s smile. Even though he was blind, he had been able to help her.

“Thank you so much, Kanan,” she said. “How did you know he took my money?”

“Usually when someone knocks into you in a city like this, they’re stealing something from you.” He chuckled.

“Well, thank you for catching him.”

“Let’s go,” Kanan said urgently. If Maul made it to the spaceport first, he may never be able to find Ezra again.

The woman pulled Kanan along, through quiet alleys and bustling marketplaces. Each street had a different sound, a different feeling. The sound of ships began to get louder and Kanan knew they were close to the spaceport.

“We are almost there, Kanan,” the woman said. “Just a little bit farther.”

“Thank you,” Kanan said. “I don’t even know you yet you were willing to help me.”

“You needed my help,” she said. “No one else paid any attention to you. I know what that is like.”

A speeder rushed past them on the right and Kanan felt the sharp wind that followed. He felt the presence of a large wall towering over them and he lifted his head. As they approached it, the sounds began to echo. Voices bounced through the large hangar and Kanan tried to clear his mind. It reminded him of his days with Janus Kasmir in the many spaceports they had gone to. He thought of Ezra and remembered what he felt like last time they had been together. As he focused, Kanan couldn’t feel that presence around him. All he felt was cold.

“Do you see him anywhere?”

“No, I’m sorry.” Kanan sensed the woman’s sadness at the words.

“It’s all right,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find him.”

Kanan turned toward the woman, suddenly feeling a cold presence beside her.

The woman screamed as a lightsaber hissed to life behind them. “No!” Kanan yelled. Kanan felt her immense pain and gritted his teeth. Screams rang out through the hangar and people began to run from the scene. Sensing the immediate danger, he quickly pieced together his lightsaber and ignited it. He felt a lightsaber moving toward him from the left and he moved his blade to parry the blow. Another blade hummed toward him from the other side and he ducked to avoid it. He rolled away and quickly got back on his feet. He raised his lightsaber and focused on the cold, dark presence before him.

“My, what a sight this is,” the menacing voice declared. “Another chance to kill you, master Jedi!”

“Maul,” Kanan said, gritting his teeth.

“What is it?” Are you upset that you can no longer see me or those you care for?” Maul chuckled. “You defeated me on Malachor, much to my surprise. I underestimated your power. I will not underestimate it again.”

“Why do you want Ezra?” Kanan asked. “Why is it so important to have him as your apprentice?”

“I need not tell you the full extent of my plan, Master Jedi. But killing you is an important part of it!” Maul struck out with his lightsaber and Kanan deflected the blow with his own. Maul’s other blade swung around below Kanan’s knees and he jumped to avoid it. Another blow came down above his head and he raised his lightsaber. As he blocked the heavy blow, the Zabrak kicked Kanan’s abdomen, sending him stumbling backward. Maul wasted no time in lashing out again. Kanan weakly dodged his next attack and raised his lightsaber. He felt a force push him backward and he flew through the air. His torso slammed against the hull of a ship while his legs stayed in motion. He flipped in the air and landed on the ground in a heap.

“It seems blinding you worked to my advantage,” Maul laughed. “Come now, Master Jedi. Is that the best you can do?”

Kanan groaned. Maul was strong. With his senses clouded as they were, there was no way he could hope to defeat him. The woman was still alive, but in a lot of pain. That pain surged through Kanan’s mind.

“Why?” he asked, rising to his knees. “Why did you attack her?” He felt around for his lightsaber. “She meant nothing to you!”

“For the same reason I killed all of the black sun. And the same reason I tried to kill you. She got in my way!” Kanan felt Maul run toward him and he rolled quickly to the left, barely avoiding the lightsaber. He reached out calling his own lightsaber to him.

“Kanan?” Ezra’s voice echoed through the hangar.

“Ezra!” Kanan exclaimed, trying to figure out where his voice came from.

“Finally,” Maul said in a breath.

Kanan stood and ignited his lightsaber. “You will not go near him.”

“Master Jedi,” the sith started. “Do you really think you can stop me?”

"Ezra, get out of here!” Kanan called.

“But Kanan--”

“Ezra, go!” Kanan didn’t want his padawan to leave, but he would rather Ezra go than stay in the hands of the devil who blinded him. “I got your message, now get out of here!” He reached out with the force and felt Ezra’s presence behind him. After a moment’s pause, the boy ran to the right. Kanan then focused on Maul.

He felt the Zabrak’s movements before he made them. Maul began to step to the right in pursuit of Ezra but Kanan’s blade was already there. There was no way that Kanan would let him get Ezra.

"You have been in my way for too long now, Master Jedi. Now you will die!”

Kanan lifted his lightsaber, letting the force guide him to block Maul’s attacks. He ducked and raised his blade above his head, straining as Maul’s lightsaber slammed down heavily. He was definitely strong, but Kanan felt himself drawing upon the force as he had when he beat Maul the first time. He drew upon all of his training from a youngling to a padawan and let the force guide his actions.

“Kanan!”

A pair of blasters fired and Kanan felt Maul’s focus drift to the one who fired at him. Kanan fell to his knees and breathed heavily. He turned off his lightsaber and rested his mind. He couldn’t move anymore.

“I have no time for you, Bounty Hunter,” Maul said. The blasters fired again and Kanan felt the cold presence move away.

“Rex!” Kanan called. “Do you see Ezra?” Kanan began to feel the exhaustion overtake him.

“Yes, Kanan!” Rex shouted. “He just flew away in a ship!” Rex and Ketsu’s blasters fired again and Kanan could no longer feel Maul anywhere.

“Are you alright?” Ketsu asked.

“I’ll be fine,” he said.

“What happened?” Rex asked. “We got separated and couldn’t find you.”

Kanan pointed toward the woman’s body who had helped him. Kanan could sense that life had left her “She helped me get here and she gave me this.” He pulled the datacrystal from his pocket. “I need my holocron.”


	12. Chapter 12

"I just contacted Sabine," Hera said. "Zeb is being released from the medcenter. I'll need to go get them before you get back."

"That's great news," Kanan replied. It was wonderful to hear her sweet voice, but he wished he could see her face in the humming hologram. "Ezra left me a message," he said.   
"But I have to use the holocron in my cabin to get it."

"Okay. I'll take the phantom to go get Zeb and Sabine." Hera paused. "Was Ezra there?"

"Yes," Kanan said. From where they were, Kanan couldn't feel Hera's emotions, but he could tell from her voice that she was sad. "He got away from Maul, Hera. He's okay."

"You'll find him, Kanan," she said. "I know it."

"I'll see you soon."

"Of course, Dear."

The hologram fell silent, leaving Kanan to the low hum of the Shadowcaster's engines.

"Are you okay?" Rex asked from behind him. Kanan sighed.

"I've never used a datacrystal in a holocron before," he said. "Even Master Billaba never had one of those while I was her padawan."

"I saw my Jedi General use one during the clone wars. I don't know quite how it works, but the crystal goes inside the holocron while it's open."

"I learned about them at the Jedi Temple but i never saw it. Almost all of the holocrons were kept in the holocron vault." Kanan rubbed his forehead as he thought back to his time in the temple.

"We'll figure it out together when we get back to base," Rex reassured.

“I hope you’re right.”

Kanan knelt on the floor and began to meditate. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the Shadowcaster dropped out of hyperspace. He felt the ship land smoothly and heard the engines whine as they were turned off. Rex grabbed Kanan’s arm and helped him to his feet.

“Let’s go get that holocron,” he said. Rex helped Kanan down the ramp of the Shadowcaster and he began to recognize the feeling of his surroundings. To Kanan’s relief, Rex let him walk on his own to the Ghost. He hated being lead around like a child. He hated feeling useless.

He boarded the Ghost and paused. It was eerily empty. It felt sad. Kanan made his way to his cabin slowly, hearing Rex follow behind. He rested his hand on the wall to feel Sabine’s paintings along the way. He opened the door to his cabin and felt his way inside. The holocron he had received from Master Billaba was in the secret compartment under his bed. He found the drawer and slid it open, feeling inside for the cube.

“Here it is,” he said. “Let’s see what Ezra has to say.”

“Right.”

Kanan lifted the holocron and opened it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the datacrystal Ezra had left for him. He raised it and placed it above the open holocron. Kanan felt the datacrystal enter the holocron and connect to the information within. He let his mind access the crystal and he heard a hologram come to life.

"It worked!" Rex exclaimed.

"What does the message say?" Kanan asked.

"I'm... not sure," Rex responded. Kanan's heart fell. Could it be something only Kanan or one of his crew could understand?

"What is it?"

"It's a symbol. It looks like Ezra drew it on the ground. Some sort of animal, but i can’t tell what it is.”

“Then we’ll just have to wait for Hera to come back. Ezra knows I can’t see so he wouldn’t send something only I could figure out.”

“You’re right,” Rex said. “I’ll go watch the comms and see if anyone is trying to contact us through the Ghost.” Kanan heard Rex’s footsteps as he left and the door to his cabin slid shut.

Kanan reached out his hand, focusing on the holocron before him. He could feel the holocron, the datacrystal, all of it hovering above the ground, but no image revealed itself to him. All he could see was red. Kanan took the bandage from off of his eyes and opened them weakly. Nothing changed. Everything was still red. He closed his eyes and put the bandage back on.

Ezra needed him. Ezra gave this to him so he could use it and find him. But none of it mattered. Kanan couldn’t help. Kanan couldn’t see what he needed to to help him. He was useless.

Kanan closed the holocron, resting it in his outstretched hand. He gripped it tightly and with a cry of frustration, threw it as hard as he could at the wall. It hit the door with a clank and fell to the floor of his cabin. Kanan breathed in deeply and let it out slowly.

“What is wrong?” a familiar voice asked. Kanan couldn’t place the woman’s voice, but it seemed to resonate in his heart.

“It’s my padawan,” he said. “He left me a message in this data crystal but I can’t see what it says.” He rested his head in his hands and grimaced. “No matter how hard I try I just can’t see it!”

“Then open your eyes.”

“It doesn’t help.”

“Open your eyes, Caleb.”

“Master?” Kanan asked in shock, raising his head at the sudden recognition of the voice.

“Yes, Caleb,” the voice of Depa Billaba replied. Kanan felt a strong presence before him, as though someone were kneeling down. But his master was dead. He watched her die a long time ago when the Jedi Order fell. 

“Master, how can this be?”

“I am one with the force, Caleb,” she said. “And it is through the force that I am with you now.” Kanan felt her sadness creep into his heart. He also felt her love and worry coursing through the air around him. It was the same love and worry he had felt from Hera when he returned from Malachor. Sadness filled him as he remembered his old master and what happened to her and how he had been helpless to save her.

“Caleb,” she said.

“I’m not Caleb,” he said. “Not anymore. Caleb Dume died a long time ago. He died when the Jedi Order fell.”

“Then who are you now?” she asked.

“Kanan. Kanan Jarrus.”

“Yes, you have changed your name. But your identity remains. You were once my Padawan, Caleb Dume. As much as you would like to forget him and forget what happened, you cannot. They have shaped you into who you are.”

“But I left you!” he said, resting his head in his hands. “I was always taught that a Jedi never runs. A Jedi stands and fights until he cannot fight anymore! I ran. I left you. I abandoned you.” Kanan wanted to cry. He wanted to let his tears leave but they stayed inside, trapped. He had wanted to cry so many times after Malachor but he couldn’t. Something always stopped him.

“Kanan. You did not abandon me.” He felt a warmth overwhelm him and it seemed like a hand had been placed on his shoulder. “I sacrificed myself to save you, Kanan. Look where you have come. You have made a great difference in this galaxy. You are taking a stand against a great evil. You are helping a young boy fulfill his potential. Your crew would not be together without you. This rebellion would not be where it is without you. You have found a family. You have found love. You have found so much light in the midst of the darkness. You can find your Padawan.” She smiled. “Open your eyes, Kanan.”

“It won’t work,” he said. “I’m blind.”

“I do not mean your physical eyes. Gain a greater connection to the force. Accept the loss of your sight. Let the force guide you. Let the force be your eyes. Open them.”  
Kanan opened his eyes. Once again all he could see was the ever-present sea of red. He breathed in and let it out slowly. He began to focus on the holocron, feeling it rise into the air. He heard it open. He couldn’t feel what it said. He couldn’t see what it said. All he saw was red.

Kanan was blind. He wanted so desperately to see things again. He didn’t want to see red anymore. He closed his eyes.

The force. He had spent so much time in his life trying to distance himself from the force so nobody would know he was a jedi. Now he was using it again but he hadn’t truly relied on the force for a long time. He had put all of his faith in the force for the last time when he left Caleb Dume behind and launched himself into space. He had truly given himself to the force and the force had protected him.

And now he would again.

Kanan opened his eyes. 

Instead of red, he saw white. White as though a sheet were covering his face. He reached up and felt the bandage that was still in front of his eyes. As his fingers passed over his eyes, the white he saw darkened. Kanan stopped, fingers trembling. He breathed out slowly and pulled the bandage from his face.

The blue holocron floated by the door, the shining hologram illuminating the dark room with the message Ezra left for him. The door to his cabin slid open and a pair of legs clad in an orange flight suit stood in the doorway. Kanan lifted his gaze to the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. The green Twi’lek wore a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and Kanan sensed a mixture of sadness and relief. Her lekku danced behind her back as she turned her head to glance at the others down the hall.

“Zeb seems to be doing okay--”

Kanan sprang to his feet and wrapped his arms tightly around Hera, determined to never let go. Behind her Kanan saw Zeb with his arm wrapped around Sabine’s shoulders for support. His eyes didn’t seem to glow like he remembered. Sabine had dyed her hair purple and her armor had been repainted. The mixture of colors was even more breathtaking than he had imagined when she described it to him. He pulled away from Hera slightly so he could look at her beautiful face. He rested his hand on her cheek and stared into the eyes that had stolen his heart so long ago.

“I can see,” he said through staggered breaths and tears rolling down his face. He smiled broadly. “I can see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's going to be a while before the last chapters are posted because I have a lot less time to work on them now that school has started back up again. But hey, I posted two chapters in the same week to tide you over :)


	13. Chapter 13

Ezra knelt in the dark with his eyes closed, meditating. He had come so close to the dark side. Maul had persuaded him into becoming his apprentice. After everything he did, after everything he took, Ezra still trusted Maul. 

Ezra tried to let go of his emotions, sitting quietly as the creatures in the cave roamed around him. He was no longer afraid of the monsters that attacked Sabine and Hera back when he first met them. They trusted him and he knew they wouldn’t attack him.

It had been so easy for Ezra to trust Maul when he met him. He had felt Maul’s pain. He had felt his anger, his hatred. The Sith and the Empire had taken everything from him just as they took everything from Ezra. But unlike Maul, Ezra found a new family. Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Zeb, even Chopper, they were all his family.  
Kanan had the datacrystal. He would know where to find him. As he thought about Kanan a wave of guilt passed over him. It was his fault he was blind. It was his fault Zeb was hurt. It was his fault all those people on Ord Mantell were killed. It was his fault Ahsoka was dead. Because he trusted Maul all those things happened. 

Ezra rested his head in his hands and lowered his elbows to the ground. Hot tears dripped from his eyes and onto the ground. He blinked and watched them fall. The drops looked black in the shadows. Black like Vader. Black like the Sith. All his fault.

He felt something cold calling to him. It was comforting but frightening. It was knowledge, it was guidance.

Ezra pulled the Sith holocron from his side pouch and looked at it. This thing was the reason he left. This thing was the reason Maul had gotten to him. He gripped it tightly and raised his arm. With all of his might he threw it into the darkness. He watched the red glow soar through the air and bounce off of a republic transport ship. He could see the glow in the darkness and he felt it call to him.

He needed to get rid of it for good. Ezra got up and went to find the red pyramid. It was resting beside the republic ship casting its eerie red glow onto the hull painted like a gundark’s head. He quickly grabbed it and breathed in slowly. He had to get rid of it once and for all. 

Ezra found his way to the edge of the ravine inside the cave. He held the holocron out over the edge and stared at it. He wanted to drop it, but something compelled him to hold it longer. The holocron seemed to whisper to him. Did he really need to get rid of it? It contained all the secrets of the Sith. Ahsoka had said to defeat an enemy you have to understand them. Ezra could use the holocron to learn about the Sith, just as he had been doing. He could open it. He could learn from it. 

Ezra opened his hand and let the holocron fall into the ravine. He had succumbed to the dark side here once before. He wouldn’t do it again.

The cold presence began to fade and Ezra sighed a breath of relief. As he breathed he began to hear a familiar sound from outside the cave. He looked toward the entrance and saw the ghost land. His family had found him.

***

As soon as the door opened Kanan saw Ezra running toward the ship from inside the cave.

“Kanan!” Ezra shouted. Kanan ran to meet him and as soon as he approached he saw the tears running down his face. He felt a wave of sadness and guilt rush into him from Ezra.

The boy rammed into Kanan and flung his arms around him.

“I’m so sorry!” he said, almost shouting. “I’m sorry for everything!”

“It’s okay,” Kanan said, running his hand through his hair and holding his head to his chest. “I’m here. It’s all over now.”

“Kanan it’s… it’s all my fault!” His voice became muffled as he buried his head into Kanan’s shirt. “Everything! It’s my fault you’re blind! It’s my fault Ahsoka’s dead! It’s my fault Maul hurt Zeb and all those people on Ord Mantell. It’s all my fault! I trusted Maul when i shouldn’t have! After everything he did I still trusted him, Kanan! Everything is all my fault!”

Kanan felt Ezra’s knees begin to give way and he knelt down with him. He closed his eyes and held the boy tight in his arms. He was shaking, sobbing with the guilt. Kanan didn’t say anything, trying to think of the right response. He took a deep breath.

“You’re right,” Kanan said quietly. “But it doesn’t matter.” He pulled Ezra away and looked straight into his deep blue eyes. “None of it matters. Every decision we make has consequences, Ezra. We all make mistakes. I would go blind a thousand times over if it meant that you could live another day. I would give my life to protect you, just as my master gave her life to protect me.” Kanan smiled. Ezra’s tears began to slow and he gave a short laugh. He wiped his eyes and smiled.

“There’s that smile I’ve been missing,” Kanan said. 

“You can feel when someone smiles?” Ezra asked.

“No. I can see it.” Ezra’s expression changed to confusion and then shock.

“You can see?” he exclaimed.

“Yes,” Kanan said with a laugh. “I can see.”

“That’s amazing! You learned how to use the force like the blind Jedi Masters!"

“That’s right. But if I use the force to do much of anything else I can’t use it to see. It’ll take some getting used to.” Ezra smiled and glanced behind Kanan at the Ghost.

“Zeb!” he yelled, getting to his feet. He ran toward the lasat who was leaning against the wall. “You’re okay!” Kanan watched as they hugged each other and Zeb winced in pain.

“Sabine!”

The young Mandalorian wrapped her arms around Ezra and Kanan could feel the warmth flowing from the two. Kanan smiled. Hera was next to receive the warm embrace from the boy.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” she said. Electricity crackled as Chopper shot a blast at Ezra. 

“Chopper!” Ezra said with a smile. Kanan’s smile grew wider and he was surprised to feel a tear run down his face.

His family was home.

***

Maul moved his way through the desolate graveyard of republic ships. He walked through the packs of creatures, holding them back with the force as he did. He could feel what he was looking for nearby. It was calling to him. The cold presence was comforting. Empowering. 

He found himself at the edge of a ravine, feeling the holocron below. It was all he needed to finally have his revenge. He began to climb down into the depths, using the force to guide him through the darkness. As he went farther down he could see a red glow. The holocron was not far. He jumped, landing expertly as his years of training had taught him. The red glow was just before him, calling to him. The knowledge within was powerful. He reached out and grabbed the pyramid and gazed into it. He smiled broadly.

“Revenge. I shall have revenge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read my story and followed it. You are honestly the only reason I finished this. I'll probably be writing some other stories about Kanan and Hera and how they met Han Solo and about the Clones and about Numa, so be watching for those! Again, thank you so much for giving me the motivation to actually finish a story. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!


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